In the artwork The Caring Machine, we are invited to imagine that we are lying on our deathbeds, our loving digital companion ‘sitting’ by our side, watching over us, and speaking to us in a soothing human voice. Is it possible to envision a future in which artificial intelligences perform similar tasks related to caretaking within a growing healthcare sector? And is artificial intelligence a comforting presence or a stark reminder of the way technology has infiltrated even our most intimate moments?

Within the theme MIND, the artwork The Caring Machine explores how, in the future, emotional relationships between humans and machines may challenge our notion of who – or what – we share our most intimate moments with. As datasets accumulate and artificial intelligences become better at reading human facial expressions and emotions as well as simulating emotional intelligence, we need to consider how we form meaningful relationships not just with machines but also with each other: can a machine handle care work or does it require something uniquely human that cannot be replaced by a machine?